UAE Golden Visa and Green Visa Explained

ByKhalid Bin Rashid Last Updated:

The UAE has two long-term residence routes that do not need a sponsor: the Golden Residency and the Green Residency. They are run by two different authorities, and their pages do not always say the same thing. Outside Dubai, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) runs them. In Dubai, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) runs its own versions, and real-estate applications in Dubai also pass through the Dubai Land Department. This guide reports each authority’s wording separately. Where the wordings conflict, the conflict is stated, not settled by guessing.

How long each visa lasts — and a conflict to know about

ICP’s Golden Residency Guide (last updated 10 September 2026) states ten years, with automatic renewal, for every category it lists: public investments, real estate, entrepreneurs, First Line of Defence, scientists and specialists, humanitarian pioneers, outstanding students, and exceptional talents. ICP’s own visa service cards for public investments, real estate and entrepreneurs each state ten years as well, and GDRFA Dubai’s investor and entrepreneur pages state ten years, extendable if the same conditions are met. The Dubai Land Department’s investor page states a ten-year renewable residence permit.

The u.ae summary table (updated 28 July 2026) says something different: it describes the Golden visa as valid for five or ten years, and its table gives five years for real-estate investments, five years for entrepreneurs, and five years for high-school achievers, with ten years for the other categories. No five-year Golden duration appears on any ICP, GDRFA or DLD page checked. Both wordings are reported here. Do not treat either one as settled without checking the authority that will handle your application.

The Green Residency is five years, renewable, on both the u.ae page and the ICP Green Residence Guide. No sponsor is needed, and Green holders may sponsor family members, including spouses and children.

Staying outside the UAE is also worded three different ways. The u.ae Golden page says holders may stay outside the UAE for more than the usual six months needed to keep a residence visa valid. GDRFA Dubai says Golden holders are exempt from the 180-day stay-abroad law, and the permit is void only if it expires outside the country. ICP’s Guide says something different again: eligible applicants outside the UAE are granted a six-month, multiple-entry entry visa, renewable for six more months, to complete the procedures. These are three different statements on three different pages. No outside-UAE stay rule was found on the Green pages checked.

Golden Residency: public investments

ICP’s Guide gives four routes, each at the same level: a deposit of at least AED 2,000,000 with an investment fund or one of the national banks; establishing a company with capital of at least AED 2,000,000; being a partner with a financial share of at least AED 2,000,000; or owning, or being a partner in, an establishment paying federal taxes of at least AED 250,000 a year (the partner’s share of the tax must be at least AED 250,000). The invested capital must be fully owned by the investor and must not come from a loan. ICP’s visa card for this route adds that the investment must be retained for at least two years from the date the permit is issued. GDRFA Dubai’s wording matches on the figures: a deposit of no less than AED 2,000,000, a tax letter of no less than AED 250,000 a year, the deposit frozen for no less than two years, and no withdrawal through the whole ten-year Golden Residency period.

Golden Residency: real estate, three wordings

The real-estate route is where the authorities’ wordings diverge most, so each is given on its own.

ICP’s Guide: own one or more properties in the UAE worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total, fully owned and registered in the investor’s name. A loan is permitted, provided the financing comes from an approved local bank. Off-plan units are permitted: one or more off-plan units worth at least AED 2,000,000, bought from an approved local real-estate company authorised by the competent local authority.

ICP’s nomination card (card 767) says the opposite on loans: its real-estate guideline states the property is not subject to a loan. That wording is reported exactly as shown. It conflicts with the Guide.

GDRFA Dubai: owning a property or a group of properties in the UAE, mortgaged property acceptable, all property types included. The value is certified by a property status statement certificate from the Dubai Land Department. A joint-property share must be no less than AED 2 million. A lien must be placed on the property to ensure ownership continues through the permit’s validity, under Land Department procedures. No off-plan wording was found on this page.

Dubai Land Department: the property’s purchase value must be 2 million AED or more at the time of purchase, wholly owned by the investor (one or more properties) under the applicant’s name. A mortgaged property is permitted with a no-objection bank letter stating the paid amount and the balance, and for a mortgaged property a bank letter showing 2 million AED paid must be provided. The applicant must be inside the UAE. A husband or wife, children and parents can be sponsored. No off-plan wording was found on this page.

Golden Residency: entrepreneurs, three figures

The entrepreneur figures differ by source and must not be merged.

ICP’s visa card (card 634) requires a letter from an auditor in the country confirming the project’s value is not less than AED 500,000.

ICP’s Guide requires a small or medium enterprise with annual revenues of at least AED 1,000,000, or ventures founded and sold with a total value of at least AED 7,000,000. No AED 500,000 figure appears on the Guide.

GDRFA Dubai requires a pioneering project registered with the Ministry of Economy or the relevant authorities with an annual income of AED 1 million; a pioneering project from a business incubator or the Ministry of Economy with an income of AED 2 million; or a founded project sold for no less than AED 7 million. No AED 500,000 figure appears on this page. The u.ae table states no money figure for entrepreneurs at all.

The other Golden categories are listed on the ICP Guide with ten-year durations: First Line of Defence; scientists and specialists (the Guide states a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000 for specialised professionals); humanitarian pioneers, including financial supporters with contributions of at least AED 2,000,000; outstanding students at secondary, bachelor’s and master’s/doctoral levels; and exceptional talents in culture and arts, innovation, sport, digital technology and other fields. GDRFA pages for these categories were not opened in this check, so their Dubai wordings are not stated here.

Nomination is not approval

Some Golden categories involve nomination by an authority. ICP runs a Nomination Request service (card 767), and GDRFA Dubai states that its entrepreneur category is nominated by the Dubai Future Foundation. GDRFA states plainly that nomination by the relevant authority does not constitute final approval for the Golden Residence Permit. No official page checked states any nomination-based lifetime Golden Visa scheme, and every duration found for nominated categories is ten years with renewal if the same conditions are met. Any lifetime claim is held out of this guide entirely.

Green Residency: the three arms

Skilled workers: a valid employment contract in the UAE; a professional classification from levels 1 to 3 under the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation classification; a qualification of no less than a bachelor’s degree; and a minimum monthly salary of AED 15,000 or its equivalent in foreign currencies.

Freelancers and self-employed: a freelance or self-employment permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation; a bachelor’s degree, specialised diploma, or equivalent; and annual income from freelance work in the previous two years of no less than AED 360,000 or its equivalent.

Investors and business partners: proof of investment or contribution to a business venture in the UAE, plus the necessary licences and approvals from the relevant authorities. The ICP Green Guide states no money figure for this arm. A GDRFA Dubai entry-visa page states a share of one million paid dirhams, but that page is a 60-day entry visa, not the residence permit, so the figure is reported with that limit attached and is not presented as the residence rule.

Fees: components only, one stated total

No summed fee total is stated on any ICP or GDRFA page checked. Only component fees are given, per authority.

ICP visa cards for public investments and real estate list: request fees AED 100, issue fees AED 100, e-services fees AED 28, ICP fees AED 22, and a Smart Services fee of AED 100, with a note that fees may vary with the data entered. The nomination card lists e-services fees AED 28, ICP fees AED 22, and a Smart Services fee of AED 100. The entrepreneur card’s fee panel was not verified, so its lines are not stated here.

GDRFA Dubai Golden pages list: residence permit fee AED 1,100, Knowledge Dirham AED 10, Innovation Dirham AED 10, fee inside the country AED 500, delivery AED 20, and the issuance fee increases by AED 100 a year whenever the residency is over two years. GDRFA Green entry-visa pages list: work visa fee AED 200 plus 5% VAT, and if inside the country, Knowledge Dirham AED 10, Innovation Dirham AED 10, and fee inside the country AED 500.

The Dubai Land Department page is the only page checked that states a total: AED 9,884.75 for the ten-year residence permit (medical examination AED 700, Emirates ID for ten years AED 1,153, confirmation of residence permit AED 2,856.75, Land Department fees AED 4,020, administrative fees AED 1,155), plus a family residence permit for ten years at AED 5,774.50, a family sponsorship file opening at AED 318.75, a parents residence permit at AED 5,774.50, and AED 100 added for each sponsored person. No fees are stated on the u.ae Golden or Green pages or on the ICP Golden or Green Guides.

Steps, channels and processing times

ICP visa cards list five steps: fill information, attachments, fees, service rate, and receive the service by email. The nomination card states two working days online (24/7) and one working day at Customer Happiness Centers, through ICP Smart Services or the UAEICP app, Customer Happiness Centers, or typing centers. ICP also states that some categories may go straight to visa issuance without a nomination request, and an eligibility check page decides which.

GDRFA Dubai Golden pages state digital steps (log in with UAE Pass or a username, search, fill in data, pay the fee) and Amer Service Centre steps (visit, take a ticket, submit, pay), with the website available 24/7 and an expected completion time of five days. GDRFA Green entry-visa pages state the same channels with an expected completion time of 48 hours. The Dubai Land Department page states seven to ten business days, with four steps: visit a service center, submit requirements and pay, do the medical examination at the center, and receive the residence permit by email.

No steps, channels or times are stated on the u.ae pages or on the ICP Golden and Green Guides.

Not stated

No five-year Golden duration appears on any ICP, GDRFA or DLD page checked. No off-plan treatment appears on the GDRFA investors page, the ICP real-estate card, or the DLD page. No mortgaged-property wording appears in the panels checked on the ICP real-estate card. No money figure, fee, step, channel, time or outside-UAE rule appears on the ICP Green Guide for the investor arm. No Green residence-permit fees or steps on the ICP side were verified. No lifetime Golden Visa wording appears on any page checked.

Related guides

Sources (official only)

Senior Expert in UAE Visa and Emirates ID

Khalid Bin Rashid is a Dubai native and Senior Expert in UAE Visa and Emirates ID. He writes the UAE guides covering Emirates ID status, renewal, tracking and changes, as well as UAE visa rules, bans and fines, through ICP and GDRFA Dubai.

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